When Love Found Me

God’s Love. It’s deep, it’s wide and it never fails. We’re taught it from a young age and while we believe it, I’m not sure we will ever fully comprehend the depth of it, this side of heaven. But if we slow down long enough and think back over the the seasons of our lives, we will see that he’s loved us perfectly and completely from day one.

I prayed recently for God to give me a deeper revelation of his love. Not just for me but for people, for the world. Over and over since I prayed that prayer, he has wrecked me with his love for humanity. His love defies human logic. He doesn’t just love the ones that love him, he loves the ones that don’t-the ones that are lost, especially the ones that are lost.

{Jesus said it himself in Luke 15} Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and even eats with them!” Then Jesus told them this story: “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the 99 in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who don’t need to repent.”

His compassion for the lost and his pursuit of them is Who Jesus Is.

He let himself be crucified, knowing that some would never accept him. He did it anyway. He made the sacrifice, but he doesn’t stop there. He knows our nature, that we are rebellious and hard-headed. So he searches us out. He follows us into the dark places and fights for us. He knocks and knocks and knocks some more on the door of our hearts, waiting for us to turn around and let him in. That’s love.

Romans 5:8 says this, “God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.”

For me, that means he loved me when I rebelled against the wise counsel of my parents. When I gave myself away over and over, hoping that I would find love. Little did I know, Love was finding ME.

My sin that started with one compromise, drug me down a path of destruction that ended in death, the death of my unborn child. Yes. I had an abortion. It breaks my heart into a million pieces thinking about it, much less writing it for all the world to see. But still to this day, when I think about it, I know that Jesus never left me. While I was breaking his heart, he was holding mine.

I was the woman caught in sin and thrown at the feet of Jesus.(John 8) Because of my sin, I had nothing to say when the law said I deserved to die. But Jesus knelt down and drew a line in the sand. He knew my sin, but he loved me. And he forgave me.

He believed in me and he never gave up on me. I was the lost sheep. And he found me. {{TEARS}}

When I pray for the lost I can actually see Jesus on their trail in the dark of night. He’s chasing them the same way he chased me. He will go the distance. He will leave the ninety-nine to find the one.

Friends, if you’re praying for the salvation of someone that’s lost, don’t give up believing. You are praying the Heart of the Father and there’s nothing he wants more than to put that sheep on his shoulders and bring him home. When you think it’s too late, or that they’ve gone too far, think about what God pulled you out of. Think about me. There’s nothing too big or too dirty for Jesus to wash clean.

We were saved by GRACE. Undeserved favor. We couldn’t earn it, we didn’t deserve it, but He gave it freely anyway. That same grace is what will save them, too. Let’s move our focus from their sin to God’s love. His love is patient. His love is kind. It’s boundless and it’s beautiful. It never ends.

He didn’t give up on us and He won’t give up on them. KEEP. PRAYING.

If you have time, grab a tissue and listen to this song. Cory Asbury knows all about this Reckless Love.

2 Comments

Tina Eccles

October 31, 2017 / 4:17 pm

Awe Polly, he loves you for loving his people enough to bear your soul in hopes of that 1 lost sheep that needs to hear this!!! I love you sweet girl
Grace=unmerited favor
None of us are clean and we All need a Savior=Jesus

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POLLY MURPHY

Hello and welcome! My name is Polly Murphy. I'm from a small town right outside of Baton Rouge, Louisiana. I'm a wife, mother of 3 and grandmother of 1. I love Jesus, meeting new people and writing! Here you will find a community of encouragement and love, a safe place where we can learn and grow together on our journey toward heaven. If you're wondering why "The Warrior Bride", let me explain. Life is hard and sometimes heart breaking but it's all a part of God preparing us to be the spotless Bride of Christ. Make no mistake, it's a fight like no other but the reward will be spending eternity with our King. We must be brave, we must be bold and in His eyes we are ALREADY beautiful! The Word tells us to put on the Armor of God. This implies that we need to be protected and assures us that there will be a battle. So I put the two together. I love the idea of being both tough and beautiful. I've been through a lot and learned a lot from many mistakes. I love God with all my heart and want to be a voice for Him, that's why I'm here. I'm so glad you're here too and I hope you'll stay! I'd love to get to know you and hear your story.
Blessings!
Polly